2002 Kansas Cooperative Hall of Fame
Nancy Kantola

Nancy Kantola was Executive Vice President of the Kansas Cooperative Council from 1981 to 1986, and was instrumental in establishing the Arthur Capper Cooperative Center at Kansas State University, the Director Development Program (DDP), the Legal Defense Fund and Country Cousin Night.  Her cooperative career spanned from the local level at the Garden City Co-op to the national level as Vice President at the National Cooperative Business Association in Washington, D.C. where she developed member and public relations programs, supported co-op membership newsletters and lobbied for the benefit of cooperatives.  She was a fearless and dedicated leader for the cooperative way of doing business.  (plaque inscription). 

Nancy Kantola was a Kansan.  She was born in Nickerson and attended school there.  Nancy's cooperative career began at the Garden City Co-op in the early ‘70's where she was in charge of the member and public relations program.  It was there that her people skills were developed.  Her leadership ability established the cooperative's member relation program, which was recognized nationally and became a model for local cooperatives nationwide.  Nancy was a pioneer in preparing and publishing membership newsletters.  This early innovation spread through the cooperatives in the Great Plains and the Upper Midwest.

Nancy and her family moved to Wisconsin in 1974, and she continued her cooperative career as an employee of Cenex in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1976.  She was the coordinator of member relations for Wisconsin and Minnesota.  Programs she instituted were: newsletter workshops, young farm couple information and education programs, and the Cenex family camp.

Nancy came back to Kansas as the Executive Vice President of the Kansas Cooperative Council in 1981.  During the five years that Nancy was at the Council she:

• Was instrumental in establishing the Arthur Capper Cooperative Center at Kansas State University. Through her leadership, the fund raising function for the Center began. She also played an important role in designing the structure and function of the Center.
• Started the Director Development Program (DDP), a progressive and structured educational program for Directors. This program remains a viable part of the Kansas Co-op Council's education program.
• Designed and implemented the first Country Cousin Night, a program for cooperative members to entertain and get better acquainted with their elected representatives and senators at the casual dinner. Country Cousin Night remains one of the most popular legislative functions and is well attended by the legislators.
• Was instrumental in establishing a legal defense fund for Council members. She recognized that many of the charged regulator violations brought against one co-op were concerns for all members. The defense fund was set up to help members offset the legal costs of defense in issues that would affect all Council members.
• Was instrumental in developing a good working relationship with the Kansas Grain and Feed Association.

Following a dream of working in Washington, D.C., Nancy moved to northern Virginia in 1986, and accepted a position with the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) as Vice President of Domestic Programs.  During her time there, Nancy was responsible for many achievements of legislative goals and regulatory influences beneficial to the nation's cooperatives.  She hired and mentored a number of quality personnel.  Two of her recruits are now CEO and Director of Communications for NCBA.  She was personally responsible for many achievements of legislative goals and regulatory influences beneficial to our nation's cooperatives.

Nancy's devotion to her children and grandchildren caused her to leave Washington and return to Kansas in the early ‘90's.  Although no longer employed by a cooperative, she remained committed to the cooperative way of doing business and continued to be a loyal supporter of Co-ops until her sudden death in 1997.

Nancy was a fearless and dedicated leader and was liked and respected by every organization and person with whom she was in contact.  She hired and mentored a number of quality personnel who are still in cooperative leadership roles and she left a legacy of leadership in the cooperative arena.  Nancy Kantola is deeply deserving of recognition through induction into the Kansas Cooperative Hall of Fame.

Nancy's family includes her husband, Raymond Adams of Maple Hill; sons Bret Kantola and his wife, Cyndi, of Parker, Colorado; and Wayne Kantola and his wife, Sarah, of St. Paul, Minnesota, and four grandchildren.

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